Resurgence
by Carrispagz
Summary: A life of abuse and fear of the unknown is all she's ever grown up with until recently. Zara, the new class 1-A transfer student is learning that life and people aren't all as bad as she's seen before. She now gets to learn the joys of life as a teenage hero, making every waking moment as worthwhile as she can. With Shoto Todoroki, real happiness could be a few short steps away.
1. Chapter 1

**_Thank you for taking the time to check out my newest edition to my stories! I do not own My Hero Academia nor their characters nor do I own the images related to the stories above, but I do own my OC. Also, to note, When everyone introduces themselves, it'll be in the Last name First name format like the Japanese culture does. Zara is the only one who doesn't use this as she is American. I do know the characters' first and last names respectively and I promise I didn't get them backward. I will also somewhat follow along with the anime but many chapters will not! Please enjoy and I hope you rate and comment and let me know what you think! This story will be far less …. mature than my other stories, so if you're a regular reader of mine, there will not be many triggers/sexual content (though I will warn you beforehand if I do any) as I am really wanting to try something new. So, for what it's worth, I hope you all enjoy and continue following along _**

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"_Ugh MOM ZARA WET THE BED AGAIN!" The heinous screams of Zara's oldest sister made Zara's heart sink. At 8 years old, you would think that wetting the bed was something a child should be completely past, but here we were again. The only thing that was strange was that it never smelled like pee and it never felt like she had peed. She was also soaked head to toe…not just around her pants area where you'd think something like that would happen. What the heck was happening? Zara's mom stormed in the room screaming profanities while half throwing Zara out of the bed, shivering in her soaked pajamas. _

"_How many times do I have to fucking tell you to stop drinking before bed?!" Her mother screamed throwing the bed in a complete array as she stripped the sheets. _

"_I did mom, I swear, I stopped drinking anything at 3 pm like you said!" Her mother growled and shook her head._

"_I didn't raise a damn liar Zara I am tired of having to tell you this shit almost daily. What's wrong with you, child are you fucking broken or something?" Zara stared at the floor, hot tears sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the carpet below._

"_Crybaby, crybaby!" Her other sister taunted pointing and laughing. "Bed wetter, bed wetter!" Zara continued to shake from the cold as she cried uncontrollably. This was their daily family ritual. Over and over her sisters mocked their little sister, their mother cursed her and their father would always roll his eyes at dinner and tell her she must be looking for attention. No one understood, not even Zara, what was truly happening. Every day at school, the kids picked on her repeatedly, throwing trash at her and calling her bed wetter after her sisters spread their home life around school. Pushed into lockers, other girls snickering and whispering about her, nothing ever went the way Zara wished they would. She was truly alone at school and at home, not a single person wanting to affiliate with the bed wetter._

_Dinner was no different as the older sisters gloated about their school day; their good grades, their best friends, their crushes. They talked excitedly as both the parents smiled and cheered, supporting them in their normal activities. Not once did anyone ask Zara how she did. How are your grades, Zara? Have you been struggling still in math? Do you have any friends? No one asked because no one cared. Social and family outcast; Zara forked her green beans bored and tired of listening to the hacking of two annoying squalls across from her. The news in the background on the tv thankfully gave Zara something else to concentrate on._

"_In Japan, Hero All Might has yet again saved the day…." Heroes huh? Wouldn't that be nice? Zara couldn't help but get lost in the daydream that scattered her brain. To be a hero would mean a whole different life. All Might was a hero in Japan, but here in America, it was different. They never announced heroes in such a good light, probably because here, the heroes really were more selfish than anything else. In Japan, heroes were probably truly full of honor. Zara kept thinking about what quirk she'd love to have if she ever could be a hero. If she had a fire quirk she could set her horrid sisters ablaze, though that'd probably make her more villainous than anything. Still the thought was nice. If she had super strength, she could be like All Might and help people in need, though having that many muscles would be so weird. _

"_GIRL I'M SPEAKING TO YOU!" Zara jumped as her attention snapped to her father who glared angrily at her. "QUIT IGNORING ME GODDAMNIT AND CLEAR THE PLATES." Zara nodded quickly grabbing at the plates at the table, her mother's slipping from her hand and shattering on the floor as she tried to rush._

"_YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!" Her mother screamed slamming her hand on the table. Both her sisters hackled in annoying laughter across the table, the middle one flinging a spoonful of mashed potatoes right at her face. _

"_LOSER! Completely useless…" Both the sisters howled louder as the mashed potatoes fell to the table off Zara's face. The bubbling inferno in Zara's chest was overflowing, as all she wanted to do was slam the fork into her sister's eyes. She could feel her hands shaking as both her parents continued screaming at her while her sisters wouldn't stop laughing. _

"_FREAK, HURRY UP AND CLEAN UP IM SICK OF THIS MESS!" The oldest sister sneered. It was as if her body was a rice crispy treats commercial, just a lot less sweet. SNAP. CRACKLE. POP. Instantly, her usual brown hair suddenly turned dark blue before, her eyes glowing bright teal and water burst from Zara, slamming her sisters out of their seats and into the walls of the dining room. Zara stared wide-eyed and stunned as she couldn't stop the gushing water from her hands. She turned panicked to her father who just gaped at her. He quickly moved to stand and Zara immediately went defensive, shooting more water out of her hands, knocking her father right on his ass. She slowly turned to face her mother, fury now building in her face. Her mother stared up at her, fear-stricken as she couldn't find the words to speak. She stared hard at a moment but something stopped her. A feeling perhaps? She wanted nothing more than to slam her mother into a wall with her water but the shaking woman in front of her for some reason made her feel guilty. _

_Zara backed away from the table slowly, unsure of what to do before quickly turning and running to her room. She never peed the bed. She wasn't a bed wetter. She sat on the bed, opening and closing her hand, water swirling every time she opened it and disappearing as soon as she closed it. Was this….a quirk? Could she be a hero? Her heart nearly skipped a beat. All night long her family left her be, not a single one daring come near her room. This gave Zara the entire night full into the next day to play with her quirk. She was completely fascinated by the water. She even stared over at herself in the mirror as she played with her quirk, but her hair and eyes never changed back to their normal brown. This was the coolest thing to happen to her that she had ever thought of._

"_Zara? Honey?" Her mother's voice sweet as a pie made Zara's skin crawl. Never has she spoken to her in such a tone. She didn't turn towards the door though, instead, she glanced to her bedroom window, realizing the sun was out. She literally stayed up all night and morning completely fascinated by her newfound abilities. "There's someone here to see you." Curiosity provoked her now as she slowly turned her head towards the door. A lady stood in the doorway, clipboard in hand, giving an unnerving smile as she walked into Zara's room._

"_Hello, Zara, my name is Lisa…" The woman approached Zara slowly, kneeling beside the spot on the floor where Zara sat. The woman, her greying hair pulled tight in a bun on her head, her thick-rimmed glasses nearly too big for her face and her bright red lipstick partially sticking to her yellowing teeth as she smiled. Nothing good came around this woman…and she knew it. "I work with child services…" _

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Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Zara groaned, turning over in her warm and comfortable new bed to smack the alarm blaring loudly. Today was her first day at her new school. U.A. She didn't even realize schools like U.A. existed, yet in America where she was from, she never had a chance to even find out. Yawning, she sat up and stretched before looking around her new apartment. Thanks to her very last foster family, she was able to come to Japan and live in her own space. Her most recent foster family…the first real family she'd had in so many years. The first family to accept her as she was, quirk and all, and they were more than thrilled to pay her way to move so she could have the best opportunity ahead of her, to be a professional hero.

Zara clenched her fist and smiled, she would be a hero, just for them. She will work hard and become a pro so she could pay her foster family back for giving her a chance. She popped out of bed, getting ready for her new start at life. She scrubbed her long blue hair under the hot water of the shower happily, eating breakfast after and then brushing her teeth. She made sure to get up extra early so she could take in the morning and use her phone maps to find the school on time. It was interesting comparing a walk to school in Japan to a walk to school from west coast America, but it was incredibly refreshing. The walk was calm, people looked rather happy and it was a nice, comfortable day. Perfect for her first day transferring into U.A.

Upon arriving at the front, her eyes practically flew out of her head. Holy crap! This school was huge and so fancy! A pang of guilt hit her stomach and she tried to shake it off. She had to go, for her foster parents and so she could make them proud. Still, as she paused looking up at the building, she couldn't help but wonder what the kids there were like. Were they like her? Were they super strong? She barely had time to process it all before someone shoulder checked her and brought her back to reality.

"HEY! QUIT STANDING IN THE WALKWAY!" A loud deep voice yelled. She blushed, completely embarrassed for being in the way. She was thankful she took Japanese classes in school in America, otherwise, she'd be totally lost. The blonde spiky-haired boy snarled, his red eyes super angry looking.

"I…I'm sorry…" Zara bowed, unsure of how to act.

"C'mon Bakugou, be nice for once, she didn't mean it." A spikey red-haired boy laughed slapping the Bakugou boy in the back.

"Whatever…" Bakugou growled storming past. The red-haired boy chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry about him, he's always like that." He held out his hand to Zara. "The names Kirishima, Kirishima Eijiro."

"Oh…um…Zara, Zara Thomas." Zara shook his hand, smiling nervously. The blush on Kirishima's face was all too apparent, making Zara blush as well.

"Oh, are you a transfer student?" Zara nodded sheepishly. "That's awesome! Well, I gotta get running, but see you around! And don't mind Bakugou, he's really not as bad as he seems!" Kirishima yelled as he waved, running off. Zara giggled, finally walking forward. Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad. She wandered through the hall finally finding her classroom. She stood in front of the door nervously, not sure what she should do. The door was open and she could see so many students talking and chatting. A couple of familiar faces made her a little nervous. Kirishima and Bakugou both were in there among many others.

"Hey, Zara!" Kirishima called waving once he noticed Zara hiding in the doorway. "Are you transferring to 1-A?" He asked confused, making all eyes land on her. A deep blush washed over her face and she gripped her pack tightly and nodded.

"Oh, awesome! We have a transfer student?" One of the girls called out. She had a black-haired ponytail, smiling and waving at Zara.

"WELCOME TO CLASS 1-A! I AM THE CLASS REP LIDA TENYA! PLEASE COME IN AND HAVE A SEAT!" The loud voice of Lida and his bowing and rigidness made Zara stare at him in surprise. She was frozen in place as he spoke making the other students try to reign him in. A different voice behind her made her shoot through the roof.

"Sit down." Zara turned nervously to see a tall, dark, long-haired man with tired eyes staring down at her. "You must be the new kid. Your seat is over there." He nodded, stepping past her and making his way to the front of the room. "If you keep standing there I'm going to mark you absent." Zara gulped, shuffling to her seat, not daring to take her eyes off the teacher. "Now then, I don't know why the school made it necessary to give this class a transfer student but this is Zara Thomas, she's from America. If you don't prove yourself worthy of this class, I will drop you with no hesitation." He stared straight at Zara, who blushed nervously and nodded, catching the glances of many of the students.

"Mr. Aizawa, I thought 1-A wasn't supposed to have transfers. We all proved our ability to be here." Bakugou spoke up. "It must be nice to just be able to transfer in."

"She was already tested by the school, however, it is rather annoying that I didn't get to weigh in myself on the matter. Either way, it is what it is for now…" The teacher spoke, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get on with class." The unsteady tension in the air made Zara sulk a bit. She was always going to be the outsider, even here. A movement caught her eye and she couldn't help but smirk as Kirishima smiled at waved. Not everyone was upset about her being there she guessed, feeling slightly better.

Lunchtime was a little different. Everyone sat close together chatting over their food. Zara felt uneasy, even though a girl in her class named Uraraka invited her to sit with her. She began to learn the names of her classmates, which made things easier. Everyone was very nice, which was a shock for Zara.

"That's so awesome you got to come to U.A. Zara! I bet your parents are so happy for you!" Uraraka clasped her hands together excitedly. Zara smiled awkwardly but didn't fight the comment. She was not ready to talk about her home life, let alone her family life with anyone yet.

"Heh, yeah. I got really lucky." Zara rubbed the back of her head with her hand.

"Are your parents heroes too?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Oh, uh, no just me." Zara toyed with her food slightly, hoping to avoid the family talk altogether. "I'm still getting used to my quirk as it is."

"What is your quirk?" Asui asked after sipping her drink.

"I can manipulate water and use it for rejuvenation and healing."

"That's it? You got in from that?" Bakugou scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon Kacchan, rejuvenation, and healing is incredibly important in battle. With her quirk, she'd make a great support class." Midoriya spoke. "I mean water is really versatile with a lot of elemental quirks, she could make for a great teammate too." Zara blushed. She hadn't really thought about what role she was going to play with her quirk. A support class made sense, she could stand back and assist with her healing, and depending on who she worked with their quirks could essentially mesh.

"Todoroki and Zara could make an awesome team." Lida spoke up, "Or even Asui and Zara." A lot of nods came around the room.

"It sounds like you have a great quirk Zara, I can't wait to see you use it!" Uraraka exclaimed excitedly. Zara blushed and smiled at the kindness around her. It seemed that everyone in class 1-A was so supportive of each other. Minus Bakugou. It was an interesting dynamic among friends and Zara couldn't help but hope to become close with everyone in her class as well.

The rest of the afternoon was spent mostly on general studies, and thankfully, being the bookworm that she was, Zara managed to pick it all up rather quickly. She wondered whether or not they mostly did academics or if they actually got to use their quirks. It made sense that they would be considering this was a high school for heroes, but the thought still crossed her mind. This was all new to her, but she was thankful for being among the students in the hero course class.

The following day proved to be more enjoyable as the students were taken to one of the training areas to do what All Might called Battle Trials. All the students gathered as All Might explained how they would be in groups for this challenge. They had to work together to get their hands on the 'weapon' inside. One group would act as the villains to keep the secondary group, the heroes, away from the weapon.

Zara got excited at the thought of being able to use her quirk in a simulated scenario. All Might called out the groups and because Zara was the oddball, her grouping was now lopsided, to which the opposing group wasn't thrilled. She stared down at her feet, not wanting to be a bother as Ojiro and Hagakure both complained a bit.

"With or without Zara, the group was lopsided anyway." Shoto Todoroki stated, rather bored of all the complaining.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ojiro asked, somewhat offended.

"My skillset is on a different level. Whether she's on my team or not won't make a difference because you're still going to lose to me." Ojiro grit his teeth, clearly annoyed with Todoroki's arrogance. Zara glanced at Todoroki who stared fixed to the matches, his demeanor rather cold and uninviting. He definitely made her nervous. He wasn't like Bakugou though who seemed to explode at everything. Todoroki was calm and collected. He knew he was strong and didn't need to blast off at the mouth to prove it, which made Zara quite curious about Todoroki's quirk. She got to see some of the students' quirks during their matches, which was fun because it seemed like everyone around her had a keen sense of how to use their quirks. Before she knew it, her group was up. Ojiro and Hagakure went inside to play their parts as the villains.

"So, what should we do?" Zara asked glancing at Todoroki and Mezo. "You guys probably know a better plan than I would against them…" She muttered sheepishly as they made their way inside. Mezo, extended his tentacle arms, listening for their enemies.

"There's movement on the Northside of the 4th floor, our opponents are barefoot. Toru is most likely going to try to ambush us."

"Yea I have a plan," Todoroki spoke calmly. "I'd appreciate it if you both waited outside, for your safety" Zara stared confused but Mezo nodded. "They're on the defensive; we've already won."

"Are you sure?" Zara questioned, receiving a slightly annoyed glance from Todoroki. She nodded, not thrilled to be told to wait outside. She and Mezo went outside and after a short time, the entire building was encased in ice, surprising Zara. "Woah this is his quirk?" Mezo nodded staring up at the building in matched amazement.

"Yea, he's probably one of the strongest in our class with his quirk." It was no wonder he asked his teammates to wait outside. She probably shouldn't have questioned him inside, but having never been in a situation like this, she didn't know whether to fully trust him or not.

"I guess he really didn't need our help." She laughed lightly as Todoroki left the building, melting the ice with his left side. "Oh wow, you have two quirks?" Todoroki glanced sideways at Zara but didn't respond. "That's really neat!" She didn't notice the intense aura emanating from him as All Might called for wraps of the Battle Trials. It was fun getting to know each of her classmates and their quirks, though she was fairly disappointed she didn't get a chance to use her own. One of these days she would get to practice with her quirk and hopefully improve on it.

Zara sighed as class ended, meaning another quiet and lonely walk home awaited. She looked around the classroom at everyone socializing and having fun as they packed their belongings. Everyone was so excited to have been able to see each other's quirks and practice against each other. Zara longed to join in on the friendly festivities but found herself alone by her desk. She wasn't really sure what to say to any of them if she had the opportunity. It was best left as things were for now, with the hopes of new friends in the future.

"See you tomorrow Zara!" Uraraka called while waving happily at her. Zara returned her warm smile with one of her own. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the most perfect place for her; her real home. A few more of the students waved goodbye as everyone left the building, heading in their respective directions. It was so fun to watch everyone's quirks on the monitor and was so amazing to see people just like her.

"Looks like we head the same way!" Zara glanced over at Midoriya as he caught up beside her.

"I guess we do!" She smiled, returning his goofy smile. "You did really awesome at your practice today! You and Uraraka are so talented!" Midoriya blushed and laughed.

"I'm still trying to learn and control mine, but yea Uraraka is amazing!" Zara giggled quietly as Midoriya got all embarrassed.

"You both are amazing. I hope I get the chance to use my quirk and work with you guys!" Midoriya chuckled.

"That's right! You didn't get a chance to use your quirk today! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can do! I think that the restoring water type will seriously be really amazing in battle." He continued to rant on though Zara couldn't quite hear him. It made her smile though that someone thought her quirk could be useful. She stopped in front of her apartment building and bowed to Midoriya.

"Thank you for walking with me, this was quite nice!" She smiled and waved as Midoriya returned her bow.

"Any time! See you tomorrow!" He waved and ran off down the road. Zara turned to her building and made her way to her apartment. Being at a new school was nerve-wracking but nonetheless, she was happy that she met new people and she had the opportunity to be here. She plopped onto her bed, checking the blinking alert on her phone. Her foster family sent her a photo of them waving with a text that said "Good luck at school hero!" Zara smiled sending her quick reply and sighed loudly, throwing her phone back on the nightstand. The familiar clenching of her heart made her eyes swell with tears. These were not unhappy tears though, these were the tears of a thankful kid happy to have people who care. These were tears that signified the new change in Zara's life. This was only the beginning and she was going to do everything in her power to prove herself worthy of such an amazing new family.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Thank you for taking the time to read this new story! As always I do not own MHA or any of the characters, only my own O.C. I would also like to note again that this story will not always follow the anime, probably more often being in its own realm than along the story. That said, I hope you enjoy, please comment and let me know what you think!_**

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_Coughing surrounded Zara as she sat in the damp, cold cellar of her new foster family. Her body shivered uncontrollably as she huddled in the far, dark corner. Other kids her age sat there as well, many of them wheezing and pink in the face. Fevers maybe? Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. Was this really what foster life was like? She always took for granted having her real family around all the time, even through all the bad, and now…they turned their backs on her. Left her to fend for herself in a world full of cruelty and chaos. She sighed quietly, praying for a blanket she knew she'd never get. The only kids who got blankets or anything special were the ones who did exactly as "daddy" said. "Daddy" was the foster dad of this first family. Mean, sweaty, and all-around gross, and yes, his prey was children. How was this man not in jail? She shuddered at the thought of the first time she met him, his hot, onion smelling breath invasive on her personal space as he checked her over, his hands inappropriately grabbing and turning her around and around. His disgusting face buried in her hair as he took a long breath, enjoying the clean smell. He repulsed her, and even at such a tender age, she knew she couldn't be around this man. The moment she had a chance she made it known she had a quirk by practically water-boarding the disgusting pig of a man while he tried taking advantage of another child in his care. She had to get out…she had to run away…if only "mama" wasn't so afraid of him. Completely shackled to her life with such a repulsive man because she couldn't leave. She cared deeply for the children but could only show her kindness when "daddy" wasn't around. The few kids who did let him get away with his disgusting habit got allowances of sorts. Their own rooms, hot showers, hot meals, blankets…the basement was all that was left for kids he was through with or knew he couldn't get to. _

"_Hey, kid…" a male whisper came across the dark room. Zara glanced over at the scrawny boy, his curly brown hair disheveled and hanging in his face. "I can get you out of here." Zara arched an eyebrow but didn't move. She didn't trust anyone in any of these horrible places. He sighed loudly and scoot next to her, her eyes narrowing immediately. "We all heard you take out daddy up there. You have a quirk, don't you?" She kept quiet but the boy nodded his head answering himself for her, "someone special like you doesn't need to be here. Get out and run as fast as you can. Whatever you do, don't turn back…"_

Zara's eyes fluttered open, slightly sore from crying the night before. The sun wasn't even out to shine through her blinds, but just barely turned the sky a big lighter. It was much earlier than her alarm was set for, but sleeping wasn't something she didn't want to do after that dream. Reliving the start of her foster life was not something she wanted to remember. She groaned sitting up and looking around, noticing the extra early time on her clock. She sighed, running a hand through her long, dark blue hair while looking around her room. She couldn't go to class; it was far to early for that. She decided it was best to just shower and eat a little something for now.

She chewed slowly on her piece of toast staring at her clock, begging for it to move another minute faster. Time felt extra slow as each minute barely passed. She groaned again, throwing on her running shorts and tank top and her sneakers. It'd been a while since she had an early morning run, but this was proving to be a morning she needed to take out a little frustration. She walked timidly to the U.A. school grounds, remembering the track that was outside. The faculty told her when she started that she could come to the school at any hours to train if she needed a safe place to do it, so she figured she'd take them up on the offer.

Zara stepped onto the track, taking a deep breath. She stretched her arms and legs a bit before bracing herself to start a nice jog. Her mind continued to replay through her dream unwillingly as her heart ached for the curly haired boy who ended up hospitalized for helping her escape the wretched house. She remembered sitting in the child's services office listening to the whispers around her as they spoke about "the incident" at the McDurmont house. The incident meaning that "daddy" raged at the boy, breaking his collar bone, fracturing his skull and sending him to the hospital. In a way, it did get all the kids out of that house and "daddy" wound up arrested on negligence charges, battery, and pedophilia. But still, the thought of that young boy going through so much pain still made Zara sad that she never got the chance to even say thank you. So many years flew by, the boy probably wouldn't even know her let alone recognize her now.

She continued to jog steadily, as her mind brought her to her surroundings again. The school was enormous, towering over the track field intimidatingly. A deep-set frown formed on her face as she slowed to a walk, holding out her hands and staring down at them. She made it so far…yet there was so much she needed to work towards. She had to do it for her foster family, for herself, and most of all, all those kids that helped her like that boy. There weren't many, but there were more than one. She stood still, unaware of her surroundings as she stayed deep in thought, not hearing the footsteps behind her.

"HEY!" A loud yell made her jump and scream. She instinctively turned, splashing a burst of water at the voice. A deep fear set in, straight to her bones as the glaring red eyes bore through her soul. Bakugou growled, his face dripping with water as he grabbed Zara's wrist hard making her yelp in pain. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR NEW KID?!" It wasn't like she intended on it, but panic set into Zara, the familiar feeling of so many abusive homes resurfacing as she yanked hard for her hand back.

"Please, I didn't mean to…" She whined as Bakugou's grip tightened.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She grit her teeth, her fight or flight instincts kicking it. All she wanted to do was run away and hide, just like the little girl she constantly kept remembering that morning. It wasn't until Bakugou noticed the tears in Zara's eyes and true set fear that he let go, confusion sweeping over his face. Zara stumbled backwards, landing hard on her butt as she shook.

"I…I just…" She couldn't gather the words, let alone even look at Bakugou who watched completely confused.

"Dude, what'd you do to her?" Kirishima's voice called out as he walked up, kneeling next to Zara's shivering form. His hand touched her shoulder gently, receiving a violent jerk as her response.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I WAS JUST CALLING OUT TO HER!" Bakugou yelled, back to his explosive angry self.

"I…it's not his fault, really…." Zara mumbled, scooting away from Kirishima and Bakugou slowly. "I just didn't expect him…" She grabbed her wrist, holding it against her chest while her eyes didn't waver from their position on the track.

"What's got you so scared?" Kirishima asked, his eyes full of worry. Zara wasn't ready to tell anyone about her past. That's not something she wanted to relive again after thinking about it all night and morning. She shook her head hard.

"GOD DAMNIT, WHAT KIND OF WANNABE HERO ACTS LIKE SUCH A LITTLE WUSS?!" Bakugou screamed, clearly frustrated and still confused by Zara's actions.

"Bakugou what the hell?" Kirishima yelled at his friend. Bakugou was right though. What kind of hero cowers like that? What kind of hero crumbles at a loud voice and a tight grip? Both boys stared in shock as tears flooded Zara's face. She didn't want to cry in front of any of her classmates, but she couldn't stop the waterworks. She covered her face with her hands, completely mortified to let her feelings show this early on.

"FUCK I HATE CRYING…" Bakugou growled loudly. His outburst made Zara giggle through her tears. "WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY?" He was the most impatient, rough edged person yet he still stuck around completely concerned as to why Zara was crying. That showed that Bakugou wasn't such an ass like he had always acted.

"I'm sorry…" Zara replied, wiping the tears from her face. She paused a moment finally looking at Kirishima and Bakugou as they watched her worriedly. "You caught me thinking about something from my past that I could only wish I could forget. For some reason, I just reverted to a moment of not thinking clearly and I let my emotions get the best of me. I didn't mean to cause you worry."

"WHO'S WORRYING?" Kirishima rolled his eyes at Bakugou and held a handout to Zara to help her up.

"Speaking of not thinking…" He mumbled catching a glare from the spikey haired blond. Again, Zara giggled, accepting Kirishima's hand.

"It's really my fault, I should've been more aware of my surroundings. You're right though, Bakugou," Bakugou's eyebrow arched, "I don't know what kind of hero I want to be yet, but acting that way isn't the way I want to be when I become a hero. I need to work on that…"

"Hell yea you do. What is so bad from your past that you couldn't control your emotions?" Zara's slight smile faded, the deep-set frown returning.

"I'd really rather not talk about it…" Bakugou began to argue but Kirishima yelled at him to shut up, reminding him it wasn't any of his business.

"Whatever…" The spikey haired blond set his resting bitch face back in place, throwing his hands in his pockets and walking away from Zara and Kirishima. "I'm going to class, you probably should too." Zara looked at her phone clock realizing the time. She waved goodbye to Kirishima as she bolted for the girls changing room, quickly freshening up and getting dressed for class. She stepped through the door with plenty of time thankfully, sitting quietly at her desk.

"Man Bakugou, you left a bruise on her wrist." Kirishima noted, grabbing Zara's arm and startling her slightly.

"She was being crazy it's not my fault." Bakugou crossed his arms defensively, not even looking towards Zara.

"Oh, that's nothing." Zara laughed, letting the water swirl in her opposite hand as she let the water encircle her wrist a moment. The bruise faded quickly, and Zara stopped her quirk.

"That's so cool! I was wondering when I'd see your quirk up close!" Kirishima leaned closer trying to see any remnants of the bruise but there was none.

"Can you heal this?" Uraraka giggled holding her finger out. There was a small papercut at the tip and Zara rolled her eyes and smiled.

"How am I going to learn if you give me such boring injuries?" Zara splashed a small bit of water from her hand onto Uraraka's finger, the cut healing immediately. The only trace there was even a cut was the small tint to the water that sat on her finger from the little bit of blood.

"Well…what about this?" Midoriya held out his hand, major bruising all over it. He must've hurt himself in training pretty badly. Zara swirled her water around Midoriya's hand. It took a few moments, but the bruises slowly began to fade. It took about three minutes for the bruises to completely vanish. "That really is awesome…" He stared at his hand in awe clenching his fist repeatedly. Zara started to blush, not having realized the amount of attention she was getting. "Now we don't always have to go to Recovery Girl every time we get hurt!" He joked. Zara smiled a true genuine smile for once. It really was an amazing feeling to feel needed, let alone wanted in a group of people so extraordinary.

"Sit down…" The monotone voice of Aizawa pierced through the class making everyone jump and run to their seats. "Today is going to be a little different. I am going to group you up into groups of three and you will be doing some mild combat training. After reviewing many of your scores since the start of the class, and having an additional student now…" His eyes shifted to Zara making her quite uncomfortable. "We need to gauge all of your abilities again as many of you have improved and some of you haven't." Everyone got a little noisy as Aizawa lead everyone outside and down to one of the training facilities. "Once I group you up, you will have free reign over this facility to train and practice. Hone your abilities and don't kill each other." A few snickers from the students made Zara realize her offensive abilities could definitely use some work. The quirks many of them had were incredible for offensive attacks and if Zara was to face one on one with some of them, she'd surely have a hard time.

The groups came down from Aizawa and Zara's stomach knotted at her group. Katsuki Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki. She sighed mentally, knowing full well her mass amounts of disadvantages against the two of them. Aizawa sent them to get dressed in their uniforms and go meet their teams in set coordinates in the training area. Zara made her way nervously onto the training course, her eyes scanning the industrial looking type area. Advantages for her quirk here would be rather difficult.

"Hey new kid…" Bakugou announced from behind Zara causing her to turn and face him. His outfit, which she's only seen one other time, was actually really cool on him now that she had a chance to actually look and not just glance. She liked the battle-ready bad boy look to him, and if he wasn't such an ass sometimes, she could easily see how attractive he was. "Are you gonna have a meltdown again now that you gotta face me for real?" Zara mustered up some confidence, trying her hand at shit talking back to Bakugou to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Please, you think just cause you saw me cry once that I'm weak? You better hope you don't lose to me then, it might embarrass you." Bakugou grinned wide, looking like a feral tiger ready to pounce on his prey.

"I will never lose to you, whiny brat!" Just as he yelled this Todoroki walked up casually, hands in his pockets looking extremely bored with the situation at hand. "AND I'LL BEAT THIS SMUG SHIT WHILE I'M AT IT!" Bakugou was now getting rather pumped up for their combat training. Todoroki glanced at Bakugou but said nothing. It was written on his face how annoyed with the situation he was. His face dripped with confidence, the way he stood, the way he didn't acknowledge Bakugou's threat. He was confident already that he was the winner.

"We're all against each other here, and I promise I don't plan on losing to your arrogant ass." Zara scoffed at Bakugou who growled loudly, though his grin was still in place.

"I don't think healing yourself through Bakugou's attacks will work. You might actually have to show us what type of quirk you really have if you want either of us to take you seriously." Todoroki was now staring at her. His condescending tone made Zara's stomach knot up. His face stared at her with what looked like complete disgust and it was nerve-wracking. She pursed her lip but didn't have the right come back for him. Bakugou was one thing, he was easy to provoke. Todoroki…well he made Zara nervous enough that provocation might be stupid. She had to make sure she could fight them and show them how she got into U.A. without just a recommendation. She had to prove she could level with them.

Back home in America, her foster father trained hard with her with close range combat skills for many months before coming to U.A. If it wasn't for him, she'd never have gotten into this place in 1-A's hero class. She had to prove she had what it took, no matter what. The buzzer went off in the background and that meant it was go time. All three of them immediately went on the defensive, though Bakugou was the first to fire his explosions at both Todoroki and Zara. Todoroki easily blocked with his ice wall and Zara jumped back, nullifying the fire with a large blast of water. Bakugou's grin widened as he began to jump around launching small bursts of explosions at both his team in what seemed almost randomly. Every single one of the shots getting blocked, but what Zara failed to realize is she left her attention solely on Bakugou. If it wasn't for the ice crackling close behind her, she would've failed to dodge the offensive ice attack Todoroki had sent her way. It moved like lightning past where she was standing and now, she realized, she was the primary target of these boys. She was getting tested and she had to ensure she could fight back hard.

Zara immediately rolled herself to a better position dodging another fiery blast from the blond, now able to face both Todoroki and Bakugou much easier. All she had done up to this moment was block attacks, and now that she got in a better position, both boys were relentless in their attacks, making it hard for her to get anything back at them. Her best option would be to take cover and find better footing for an offensive attack. Neither of them faltered in their attacks as Zara continued to dip and dodge, using her quirk to nullify attacks from Bakugou and get behind one of the buildings for cover. Ice spiked through the building with a frightening ease as a few spikes jutted out to the right of her face. She growled, frustrated. Neither of them were giving her a moment to assess her situation. Bakugou came flying from above, hurling himself in a flip and blasting the wall just above where Zara had initially landed.

"YOU CAN'T HIDE!" Bakugou yelled, laughing manically

She ducked out from behind the building, rolling to the side in complete view of Todoroki. She had no choice but to start attacking and hope she could land any sort of hit. She threw her arm forward as soon as she landed on her feet and let the water fly. Todoroki dodged easily with his ice wall; Zara's water freezing up against the ice. That's right…don't use cold water with him… She smiled now. Her hands felt more than hot as she altered the temperature of her water, flinging a boiling ball at high speed, splashing against the ice wall and melting a hole straight through it. Todoroki's eyes widened as he didn't expect to have to dodge from behind the ice, barely missing the scalding water that almost nailed his face. She let her attention linger too long as an explosion from Bakugou landed against the ground, sending her flying across the ground.

"PAY ATTENTION IDIOT. YOU HAVE TWO OPPONENTS!" He growled landing on the ground right where Zara had originally been standing.

"NO SHIT." She retorted, groaning as she stood up, wiping the blood off her arm where she had landed. She altered the temperature of her water again, flinging an ice-cold ball of water at him which he easily dodged. What he didn't know is she could call her water back, and with the flick of her wrist it hit him in the back of the head instead. He growled angrily, more so at the fact that it hadn't hurt him but shocked him. He bolted straight at her, closing the gab between them quickly. Just before his hands reached her an ice wall shot up in between them.

"WHAT THE HELL HALF N HALF!" Bakugou yelled at Todoroki.

"You have two opponents too, idiot." Bakugou growled angrily as Zara giggled from behind the ice wall. Todoroki and Bakugo began to go at it, causing much heavier damage than what had initially been directed at Zara. Back and forth, all of their abilities flew, their attentions turning on each other every time the opportunity presented itself. Eventually, after much strenuous combat, the three of them stood panting, exhausted from the use of their quirks, but also the excessive movement. They were at an almost standstill, though a few times it looked as if Todoroki was going to win. He couldn't keep Zara ice blocked at one point due to her ability to change water temperatures. It was easy enough for her to escape. Bakugou just seemed to want destruction of whoever made him madder at that moment and if he got close enough, he could've easily taken them down. Or that's at least what Zara thought, why else would Todoroki keep blocking Bakugou from reaching Zara every time?

"Not bad new kid…" Bakugou panted as the buzzer beeped for a break. "I didn't think you had it in you to keep up with me. You're still not going to win though." Zara chuckled, plopping down on the ground, swirling her quirk around her to help heal her wounds. She hadn't healed herself through the entire fight, hell-bent on proving she could handle their attacks.

"You did surprise me as well." Todoroki nodded agreeing with Bakugou. "But no more playing nice." Zara nodded as well, fully healed but still dead tired. She was going to struggle with this round. Todoroki winced, clenching his fist a bit; Zara's eyes catching a glance at his hand. The tips of his fingers were turning slightly purple and Zara tilted her head. Could that be…frostbite? She stood up walking closer and holding out her hand for his. He eyed her cautiously but handed her his hand. She swirled the water at a lukewarm temperature, allowing his hand to slowly heal. What she didn't realize is it had helped his body regain a normal temperature as well, just from the small amount of healing she was doing for his hand. His eyes watched her intently until she was done, a small blush creeping to her face. She didn't want to look at him though, the intensity in his eyes would make her far too nervous.

"HEY! IF YOU HEAL HIM YOU HAVE TO HEAL ME TOO!" Bakugou yelled, stomping over and grabbing Zara's shoulder. She laughed, thankful for the break from the intensity that was always Todoroki. She swirled the water around Bakugou's entire body, laughing as he enjoyed the feeling of being healed by it. Just for giggles, as soon as she was finished, she splashed a little water on his head making him yell out while she laughed. Pretty soon, the buzzer started again and the three of them went at it, only this time Bakugou and Todoroki made a point not to let Zara get far. They subdued her after a while, and she couldn't help but give up as blood gushed from her nose from landing horribly wrong from one of Bakugou's explosions. A super thick ice cocoon surrounded her on top of that making it take forever for her to melt through to get out. By the time she did the last buzzer rang and Todoroki and Bakugou panted, covered in scrapes and bruises, both of which not wanting to waver. Luckily, Aizawa had showed up, using his ability to stop the two from killing each other, much to Bakugou's dismay.

The rest of the day, which wasn't much of it, the entire class took to healing up and recuperating, many of them asking Zara for help. She was dead tired but the more she used her quirk, the better she would be. Todoroki caught her off guard, making her jump slightly as she turned around to face her desk. He was standing, staring intensely at her again.

"Do you need some healing?" She asked and he nodded. A guy of few words, she thought to herself, swirling her quirk around him. As she did so, a drip of blood began to pour from her nose, causing the intense stare of Todoroki to turn into concern. A facial expression she had yet to see on him thus far, and there were very, very few she had seen in general.

"Stop, don't over do it." He said, grabbing onto her as she started to sway slightly.

"I'm fine…really." She mumbled but the dizziness in her head said otherwise. Todoroki pulled her into her chair, forcing her to sit.

"You've used your quirk way too much today, relax. Don't move." He stated, gaining a nod from Zara before walking away. Everyone else was off eating lunch and Zara hadn't realized it had just been her and Todoroki in the classroom. She swayed slightly in her seat, not realizing the blood from her nose was freely dripping onto her desk. Todoroki came back moments later, setting a drink and a snack on the table before taking tissues and handing them to Zara. She managed to get the bleeding under control after a few moments, blushing like mad as she started to feel better and not so dizzy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be a bother. How much do I owe you?" She asked, pointing to the drink.

"Nothing. Just get your energy back." He sat on the desk opposite of her as she meekly nibbled on the bread in front of her and sipped her juice.

"Really, I can pay you..." She started up again but the death glare she got made her shut up. His eyes, boring into her the way they did made an involuntary shiver travel up her spine. She couldn't stop staring back this time, caught in the trance of his eyes. He was extraordinarily cute, and she could see that he really wasn't a bad person. Arrogant and full of himself but not one who wasn't capable of caring.

"What did Bakugou do to you this morning?" The question from left field caught her off guard as she choked slightly on her drink.

"You saw that?" She blushed as he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Everyone did." She internally groaned, not realizing her entire class had been coming onto the school grounds and witnessed the emotional event that had transpired.

"He just…caught me in my own head. I overreacted." She mumbled, toying with the pop top on her drink.

"The way you acted…wasn't just from being in your own head. I've seen that reaction one too many times in my life. What'd he do to you?" Zara stared up at Todoroki quizzically, wondering what in the world he's seen in his life to understand her reaction.

"It really wasn't what he did. I didn't know he was behind me, and I really was lost in my own head, I just…wasn't expecting him to yell out and I panicked." Todoroki's eyes narrowed slightly. His stare made her extremely nervous, to the point she couldn't stop the words from flowing. "I had really bad dreams last night about my childhood and when I was running this morning, I was thinking really hard about my past…and I instinctively reacted when he startled me and grabbed my wrist." She blushed and turned away, not wanting to divulge this much information as it was.

"That's a reaction of abuse." He stated simply, verifying the truth through the pained expression on her face. "I've been through it myself." Zara glanced up at Todoroki curiously. He grit his teeth and continued. "My father forced my mother into a marriage for her quirk and forced me into being his prodigy because I have a dual quirk. It's why I don't use my fire side…." Zara winced, feeling bad for Todoroki. "He abused both my mother and I and sent her to an institution. I fucking hate him." The rage in his eyes were real and they struck Zara hard.

"Is that why you're becoming a hero?" She asked timidly. He nodded.

"I want to prove I can be better than him without ever using my fire side…HIS side." Zara watched him, the expression on his face, and it all made her want to reach out and hug him. Though, she wouldn't dare. "What about you?" He finally asked after calming down slightly.

"My real parents threw me away when they found out I had a quirk. I've lived in and out of foster care all the rest of my life. A lot of it was…just…horrible can't even begin to describe." Todoroki tilted his head slightly as he listened. "My most recent foster family is the only reason I was able to come here and be apart of all of this, so I want to do my best to make them proud…but some days I end up reliving my foster care before them and I hate it." Zara bit her lip, surprised to have allowed herself to divulge so much information to him. But for whatever reason, he managed to relate to her on such a profound level, that she couldn't help but open up easily. Todoroki stayed silent a little while longer while Zara nervously fidgeted with her drink.

"Let's start training together." He stated making Zara completely confused. "If you want a place that you can just let loose emotionally or physically training, you can just come over and train with me. At least you won't have to face your past alone." Who was this guy? Normally quiet and shut into himself, here, what he was offering was completely unlike him.

"I don't want to bother anyone…." She started but Todoroki cut in.

"You're not a bother. You'd be improving your quirk and not having to worry about breaking down at school because you've had an emotional time." She stared at Todoroki for a long moment, taking in the offer. To be able to train and improve with one of her classmates would be perfect to help her hone her quirk, but she truly didn't want to use him for her emotional break downs. That'd be a burden on anyone…unless…

"If I agree, then you have to do the same for me." It was his turn to be confused. "If I lean on you for my crappy handle on my own emotional baggage, then you have to do the same." His jaw clenched slightly before he gave in and sighed.

"Fine. Come over tomorrow, we can start training then." Zara nodded, blushing and smiling. Was this the start of a friendship between her and Todoroki? The first person who, in a way, blasted down her emotional door and stepped right in? She wasn't sure what to make of the situation, only that she was thankful for this rare opportunity, hoping she wasn't opening herself up only to be let down again. Only time would tell.


End file.
